WEEK 2

DAY 8 Saturday 28 May 2005

A day in Venice

Boarded the buses at
0900 for the drive into Venice - well to the Tronchetto bus park
actually as you
cannot drive into Venice unless your vehicle is amphibious.
We then
boarded a ferry to take us to St Marks Square - the centre of Venice.

The line of white hats heading out to the ferry for Venice

Still more white hats to come

Where the Venetians store their cars - well they cannot park them in
the basement can they!

A larger ferry (from Greece) berthed nearby

Typical buildings in the way to Venice

Looking back across the Laguna

One of many large churches in Venice

Approaching the Piazza San Marco

Looking back to the Piazza as we approached the wharves

Land, heading past the stalls and vendors on the wharf - follow those
hats.

Land, heading past the stalls and vendors on the wharf - follow those
hats.

The Bridge of Sighs

Piazza San Marco

At Piazza San Marco we were met by local guides who told us something of the history of Venice
and its buildings. We examined the Square with the Ala Napoleonica at the far end, built by Bonaparte to house a
ballroom. To the right is the Procuratie Vecchie and to the left is the Procuratie Nuove,
housing the Museo Archeologico and the state library known as the Libreria Sansoviniana or Biblioteca Marciana.

The Procuratie Nuove

The Procuratie Vecchie

The columns along the front of the Doge's Palace

The Campanile, a 325-foot bell tower from the 8th Century

Some of the architecture on the Doge's Palace is extremely intricate, and is a
testament to the skills of the early stonemasons.

One of the entrances to the Doge's Palace

The stonework in more detail

Beside the Palace is the Basilica di San Marco: a "grandiose and magnificent
hodgepodge of Byzantine domes, mosaics, and plundered treasure from the
Near East and Asia"
(More
info.....)

After
returning to
the bright, hot sunshine we then had until
1500 hours to explore Venice, walking through its narrow streets, past
hundreds
of small shops and cafes, over many bridges and through throngs of
thousands of
tourists.

Gondolas

We invested 80 Euros on a gondola ride that took us in a circle down
to the Grand Canal, under the Rialto Bridge and back to our starting
point. These gondola rides are a bit over-rated, but it was a good opportunity
to rest our feet in the cool shade.

Starting out towards the Grand Canal

On the Grand Canal with the Rialto Bridge

Hotels beside the Rialto

Heading for the Rialto

Under the Rialto

The Grand Canal

Back into the small canals

Landing - our departure point along the canal to the right had been
taken by other gondolas

The Gondolier heading off for another fare

Murano

At 1500 hours we re-grouped outside the Doges Palace and returned to the ferry wharf.
Here the party split, some going back to the buses (and the hotel) while others
took a ferry out to Murano Island and the famed Venetian glass works.

Out on the Laguna with a mass of navigation buoys and small "fizz
boats"

Entering the bay on Murano Island

In the glassworks, watching a horse being created

Our group - still with white hats

The Murano glass factory

Close-up detail of the factory name in glass

From Murano we travelled across parts of the Laguna, watching as
many small boats shot past us - from small dinghies to large and
expensive motor boats. Most were filled with younger people - many in their teens. In
Venice, boats take the place of cars and "going cruising" has a more literal
but none-the-less similar meaning.
Apparently you can cruise the Laguna in a powerboat at 16 years old -
and you do not need a licence. The motor however must be less than 40 horsepower.

Sailing back past Piazza San Marco with the Doges Palace in the centre
and the Bridge of Sighs on its right

The Basilica di San Marco with its 7 domes

A modern bridge viewed through the haze of pollution

Back to Tronchetto

We returned to Tronchetto and the buses, walking past another
collection of stalls selling all manner of touristy junk. They seemed
to specialise in cooking aprons that were displayed to best advantage.

Off the boat and back to dry land

The market stalls at Tronchetto - aprons seemed to be the main ware
although their connection to Venice is not clear

A closer view of those aprons

We arrived back at the tired ex-Ramada Inn Hotel at 1830 hours. Dinner that night
was Spaghetti, grilled fish with potatoes and peas, followed by ice cream slice.